Filtration membranes are widely used for water purification and wastewater treatment in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.
There are three major challenges in use of filtration membranes: low permeability, fouling, and poor stability. Low permeability leads to a low flux. Fouling is loss of permeability due to adsorption and adhesion of feed components. Both low permeability and fouling result in low efficiency and high energy use. In addition, certain membranes swell and dissolve in water due to their poor stability, shortening their lifespans.
There is a need to develop high performance membranes that do not have the drawbacks mentioned above.